specter
56
8.6
- noun
- /ˈspɛktər/
- US
- And that raises the specter that good exists at least as the opposite of whatever evil is.
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeThe spider webs, the spiders, the ghouls, the goblins, the spectres.
- The spider webs, the spiders, the ghouls, the goblins, the spectres.
Examples
-
Legend has it that a specter of a woman in white can be seen near the old graveyard during full moons.
-
Sure enough, when he looked again, the specter was nowhere to be seen.
Fiction book (1992) -
We saw that deadly specter.
-
A specter of death.
-
Above the creatures he'd seen the haunting specter of a framed picture of Jesus.
Fiction book (1991) -
The specters of these past cultural collisions still haunt the Tlingits today.
Academic text (2009) -
The northwoods area of sleepy hollow has long been known as a place densely populated by spirits and specters of every imaginable shape and size.
-
In the haunted house, a specter appeared suddenly, causing everyone to scream in terror.
-
The villagers spoke in hushed tones about the specter that wandered through the forest at night.
Synonyms
527
7.0
A ghost or supernatural being that can appear to people
81
6.7
A ghost or spirit that people think they see
41
6.8
A ghost or invisible being people believe causes harm and bad luck
19
8.9
A ghost that people see suddenly
18
9.7
A ghost that makes loud noises and moves things
11
4.7
A ghost believed to frighten people
4
9.9
A thing that seems real but is only in the mind, like a ghost
1
9.9
A frightening ghost that appears at night
1
9.9
A ghost-like figure that seems real but is not
1
9.5
A spirit without a body that appears to people or stays near places
A ghost that appears to people
A ghost or spirit people think appears in places
Compounds
A strong, worrying feeling that you are not sure you can trust someone or something
How Scary
- Literature
509
5.3
- Literature
18
9.7
- US
56
8.6
11
4.7
929
3.0
- Literature
19
8.9
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word specter comes from the Latin spectrum and the root spec- meaning 'an appearance' and 'to look'. You can see the same spec- in words like inspect and spectator, which are about looking. Because it first meant a strange appearance, a ghost that shows itself is called a specter.